Nuclear energy in Europe faces uncertain future

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investor Confidence ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
Uncertain Future

Significance The government's decision to delay its approval has raised questions about how and whether nuclear power will be developed further in the United Kingdom. The renewed uncertainty will do little to bolster the fortunes of the technology elsewhere in Europe. Impacts The high cost of new nuclear plants often makes government support necessary, which could lead to conflict with the European Commission. With investor confidence already low, the loss of Hinkley Point would adversely affect other proposed nuclear projects. The falling cost of renewable energy could make nuclear a less attractive option in the long term.

UK support for Hinkley Point is likely to continue

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power Station ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

Subject The project to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Significance Reports that construction of the planned nuclear power station at Hinkley Point may be postponed will raise further concerns about the project's prospects as well as the long-term direction of the UK electricity sector. The reports follow weeks of debate in the United Kingdom and France over whether construction should go ahead and over further delays in the final investment decision on the project (now scheduled for May). Impacts Depending on how the French government decides to support EDF, approval by the European Commission may be needed. The Austrian government has legally challenged the Commission's approval of UK plans to support the project. The UK government's existing plans for maintaining electricity supply -- the so-called 'capacity auctions' -- may need to be revisited.

Lack of consensus clouds EU-UK transition prospects

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investor Confidence ◽  
Sudden Loss ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Regulatory Capacity

Significance In keeping with much of the Brexit debate, discussion of the possibility of a transitional arrangement has been frequently vague and contradictory, but clarity is necessary to delineate the different things that transition might mean. Impacts Investor confidence could plummet if prospects for a transitional deal deteriorate, and more companies may decide to relocate. No transitional deal would mean the sudden loss of regulatory capacity, affecting many industries including nuclear energy. Even if a transitional deal is agreed, the United Kingdom may no longer be covered by the EU’s trade agreements.

Technical hurdles may block China nuclear power plans

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
International Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Electricity Supply ◽  
Energy Capacity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuclear Plants

Subject China's nuclear programme. Significance China has the world's largest fleet of new nuclear plants and plans to increase its nuclear energy capacity more than fivefold over the next 15 years. It is one of the few countries to be adding to capacity, while expansion has largely stalled in Europe, the United States and Japan. Chinese companies have also started to sign deals with other countries to build plants there. Impacts Nuclear energy will enhance security of electricity supply in the economically crucial coastal provinces. Success in its domestic programme would position China to rival Russia in the international market. Nuclear power will help China tackle air pollution, currently a greater political liability than concerns about nuclear safety. Public opinion seems unlikely to become a barrier to expansion unless there is a serious nuclear accident.

Greater acceptability, lower compensations required? The impact of perceived net benefits on willingness to accept nuclear energy projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Contu ◽  
Elgilani Eltahir Elshareif
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Willingness To Accept ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Support Cost

Purpose This paper aims to estimate willingness to accept (WTA) hypothetical nuclear energy projects and the impact of net perceived benefits across three countries: Italy, a country without nuclear plants in operation; the UK, a country with nuclear plants in operation and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has more recently opted for the inclusion of nuclear energy in its energy mix. These valuations can support cost-benefit analyses by allowing policymakers to account for additional benefits and costs which would be otherwise neglected. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was conducted through online nationwide surveys, for a total of over 4,000 individuals sampled from Italy, the UK and the UAE. The surveys included choice experiments designed to elicit preferences towards nuclear energy in the form of WTA, indicating estimated compensations for welfare worsening changes and questions to measure perceived risks and benefits. Findings The average WTA/Km is the lowest for the case of the UAE. What is more, perceived net positive benefits tend to decrease the WTA required by the UAE respondents? Moreover, across the cases, albeit to a lesser extent with regard to Italy’s case, there is evidence that a more positive benefit perception seems to increase the valuation of environmental and public benefits offered as part of the experiment. Originality/value The contribution of this study is primarily twofold: first, it provides a comparison of WTA values in a context where the availability of choice experiment data is scant; second, it assesses whether and to what extent perceived net positive benefits of nuclear energy impact WTA of nuclear energy projects.

The Need for Strategic Planning for Nuclear Power Plant I&C Upgrades

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Douglas Hill ◽  
Paul Moore
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
And Control ◽  
Plant Control

Nuclear power plants rely on Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems for control, monitoring and protection of the plant. The original, analog designs used in most nuclear plants have become or soon will be obsolete, forcing plants to turn to digital technology. Many factors affect the design of replacement equipment, including long-term and short-term economics, regulatory issues, and the way the plant operates on a day-to-day basis. The first step to all modernization projects should involve strategic planning, to ensure that the overall long and short-term goals of the plant are met. Strategic planning starts with a thorough evaluation of the existing plant control systems, the available options, and the benefits and consequences of these options.

scholarly journals Households’ perception of flood risk and health impact of exposure to flooding in flood-prone informal settlements in the coastal city of Mombasa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 592-606
Author(s):  
Fredrick Okoth Okaka ◽  
Beneah D.O. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Flood Risk ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Flood Risks ◽  
The City

Purpose Mombasa City in Kenya is one of the most vulnerable towns to flood risk due to its low-lying coastal location. Those at the highest risk in the city are households living in the flood-prone informal settlements. However, little is known about the perception of these vulnerable households to the flood risks and its health impacts, which is important for developing effective long-term adaptation strategies. The purpose of this paper is to examine the general perception of the residents regarding flood risks, its impact on their health and their adaptation strategies. Design/methodology/approach This study surveyed 390 randomly selected households in three informal settlements in the city of Mombasa using a semi-structured questionnaire. This was supplemented with six focus group discussions (FDGs) and six key informant interviews (KIIs). Findings The majority of respondent households perceive future flooding as high risk or severe with high negative health impact. Despite this, many do not evacuate their homes because they do not have alternative places to move to. Flooding was indicated to have had a negative physical and mental health impact on members of households. Although majority of households had taken some adaptation measures, most of these were short term, mainly due to financial constraints, lack of knowledge and government support. Perception of flood risk and gender were found to have a strong influence on taking long-term adaptation measures at the household level. Practical implications Reducing flood risk and averting its health consequences in flood-prone informal settlements require empowering and supporting those living in these areas with ability to initiate long-term adaptation measures and creating awareness about future risks. Originality/value This study provides evidence about how residents of flood-prone informal settlements perceive flood risk and how the exposures to perennial flooding impact their health. The paper augments existing knowledge of flood risk in poor urban neighborhoods of developing countries.

scholarly journals The Armenian nuclear power plant: problems of electricity export

2018 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 02010
Author(s):  
Vahe Davtyan
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Power Market ◽  
Electric Power Market ◽  
South Caucasus ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant

The prerequisites for the development of Armenia’s nuclear power industry are indicated. The main geopolitical problems of operation of the Armenian NPP are revealed through studying the electric power market of the South Caucasus with the definition of the export opportunities of Armenia. The main problems of nuclear fuel supplies to the Armenian NPP are studied. Recommendations are given on the long-term development of nuclear energy in Armenia.

Sustainable Development of China With Nuclear Energy System Beyond Generation-IV

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Zhou ◽  
Hong Xu ◽  
Yongwei Yang
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Nuclear Fission ◽  
Hybrid Reactor ◽  
Fissile Material ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation

Two aspects of the development trend of current nuclear fission technology are discussed. The first aspect is to improve economic competitiveness and safety for searching opportunity of enlarging the share of nuclear power. The second aspect is to explore new ways of improving the efficiency of nuclear fuel utilization and of reducing the geological repository volume of radioactive products from nuclear power generation. Sustainable development of Chinese economy in 21st century will mainly rely on sustainable supply of clean energy with indigenous natural resources. The burden of current coal-dominant energy mix and the environmental pollution due to energy consumptions has led nuclear power to be an indispensable choice for further expanding electricity generation capacity and for reducing greenhouse effect gases emission in China. The long-term sustainable development strategy with nuclear fission technology beyond generation-IV for electric power generation, namely the fusion-fission hybrid subcritical reactor technology, is discussed. The impact of the proposed fission-fusion hybrid reactor to future nuclear power generation technology will reply on the success of the ITER-scale (500MW fusion power) Tokamak to burn plasma continuously in the predictable future. The main challenges and prospects of the strategy are also analyzed. The preliminary analysis has shown that the fission in the subcritical blanket driven by fusion neutrons can effectively amplify the energy carried by fusion neutron and maintain breeding of fissile material and tritium. It has been found from the results of a conceptual design that this new type of fusion-fission hybrid reactor may meet the requirement of China’s long-term sustainable development of nuclear energy.

Iran deal will not relaunch nuclear power globally

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Power Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Un Security Council ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Prices

Subject Impact of the Iran deal on civil nuclear energy. Significance The deal between Iran and the P5+1 powers (five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) will have little effect on the global deployment of nuclear power technology. The agreement could pave the way for new civil nuclear power generation in Iran. Elsewhere, civil nuclear power's prospects are restrained by high costs compared to alternatives, safety risks and political acceptance. Impacts Advanced nuclear power countries will encourage newcomers to meet their needs for nuclear fuel by relying on existing suppliers. Countries investing in new civil nuclear power are unlikely to also seek weapons capability. Low oil and carbon prices and the apparent reluctance of countries to mitigate climate change will constrain nuclear power investment.

Strong Greek healthcare sector will support GDP growth

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Support Programme ◽  
State Initiatives ◽  
European Stability Mechanism

Subject Contribution of healthcare sector to Greece’s recovery. Significance Following the successful completion of the fourth and final review on June 22, Greece is to exit its European Stability Mechanism (ESM) support programme on August 20. Despite the availability of a sizeable cash reserve, offering a financial buffer for an estimated 22 months, the long-term stability of the state will largely depend on the agility of the economy. The robust growth of pharmaceutical exports in 2017, along with new state initiatives on the development of medical tourism, have the potential to stimulate the economy, capitalising on existing competencies. Impacts Patients undergoing treatment in non-tourist areas with many hospitals may turn to the burgeoning online private renting system. Medical tourism will boost local economies and related industries. Intensified development of the healthcare sector will also support the growing needs of an ageing Greek population. A hard Brexit could hurt Greek pharmaceutical exports as the United Kingdom is the second-largest export market.

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